While I have tremendous amounts of respect for John Tortorella, it’s very likely that a quick dispatch by the Bruins may mark the end of the Tortorella era in New York City.

Rewind to the summer of 2008, and Tortorella, who was just fired from the Tampa Bay Lightning after failing to make the postseason, was hired as the head coach of the New York Rangers – a franchise in the middle of an extensive rebuild combined with overpriced veterans.

Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Markus Naslund, and Wade Redden were marquee names for the franchise as sophomores Marc Staal and Ryan Callahan were part of the fresh young faces to the franchise.

Tortorella would later lead his team to the postseason in his first season at the helm, but would be eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.

It would not be until the 2011-12 season that Tortorella would lead the Rangers past the first round of the postseason, to the Eastern Conference Finals versus the New Jersey Devils, eliminated in six games.

It’s widely acknowledged that the roster of gritty youth like Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Brandon Prust, and talented scorers like Artem Anisimov and Marian Gaborik led the team to the heights of finishing first in the Atlantic Division. The core of this roster adapted to the hard forecheck, defensive-mindset that Tortorella had preached for several seasons in New York, and it was finally paying dividends.

But many critics of the New York Rangers feel that they simply overachieved in 2012, an anomaly that will not soon be repeated.

After a disappointing 2013 season, barely squeaking into postseason contention, Tortorella helped lead the Rangers past the Washington Capitals in seven games. But now faced with elimination against the Boston Bruins, not winning a single game against a very skilled opponent, perhaps the Tortorella system of many legends is simply not cutting it anymore.

After winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, Tortorella was subsequently tuned out by his players, and lost in the first round of the postseason from 2005-07. The Lightning did not qualify for the postseason in 2007-08.

And it’s very likely that the same thing is starting to happen in New York, where talented scorers like Marian Gaborik and now Brad Richards can’t find a way to contribute offensively on a consistent basis. Gaborik, of course, was traded at the deadline this season. But just before, he was pretty blunt on his growing frustration with the Tortorella system.

From our trade speculation of Marian Gaborik:

Tortorella insists Gaborik plays better when he’s shuffled through the lines. Gaborik has said repeatedly having consistent lines is what players strive to attain.

Tortorella essentially has switched Gaborik to left wing this season. Gaborik has not complained but has said several times he’s more comfortable at his natural right wing.

Don’t get me wrong: Gaborik was only one season removed from 41 goals, and 35 assists under the very same system and coach. I clearly acknowledge that. But at some point, players get comfortable under the same regime and eventually tune leadership out, especially when winning isn’t routine.

Aside from possible player speculation, let’s not forget the horrid power play, currently at 5.6 percent, or 2-36 this postseason. While Tortorella doesn’t solely claim responsibility for the power play efforts, he is a huge part of it. Near the end of the regular season, Tortorella interestingly commented that he was leaving the power play “in the hands of the players to figure out”, and hoped that would spark it. But, that strategy clearly didn’t work.

More recently, Tortorella complained that Carl Hagelin, despite being a top-scorer for the team, “stinks” on the power play and doesn’t want to use him. Why he isolates Hagelin is beyond me, when it’s clear the entire team is just embarrassing – dead last in the league.

At some point, Tortorella has to take the fall for the team’s struggles and the ridiculously ineffective power play. Yes, the players are the individuals who are on the ice and responsible for scoring – but management and coaching is clearly responsible as well.

Like anyone else, athletes need instruction and motivation. I don’t see the motivation for improving the power play from this team at this time, and it’s hurting them at the worst possible time. It’s clearly the difference maker against the Bruins, and likely will be their downfall this year – among many other reasons.

I’ve never been a fan of the NHL routine of firing coaches, especially when they are not the clear reason for the team’s struggles. But perhaps a change of management across the board from the coaching staff (that’s you Tortorella and Mike Sullivan) is just what the doctor ordered. It’s clear general manager Glen Sather has made several smart acquisitions and moves over the past years, doing tremendous work to improve the grassroots of the franchise. James Dolan has a great general manager underneath him, and he would be doing his team and fans a disservice to continue under a coach that is proving to be questionable when it matters most.

Advancing to the Semifinals doesn’t mean much when your team is (or nearly) swept. In one of the toughest sports markets in the world, patience is at a high premium – and fans appear to be just about out of it with John Tortorella.

Andrew Gross of The Bergen Record reported today that some key lineup changes may happen for Game 4 due to injury.

• Anton Stralman is most likely out for Game 4. Gross feels that Matt Gilroy will be the logical replacement for Stralman, however I personally feel Hamrlik may be the better candidate with extensive postseason experience.
• Gross also reports that Marc Staal did skate today and there is a very slim, but possible chance that Staal could get the nod to return on defense in place of Stralman. If Staal is still suffering from the vision issues, I think it would do him more harm than good to return when he is not yet ready (and clearly he wasn’t vs. Washington), but anything could happen.
• Chris Kreider, who took a high stick to the face in Game 3, did not practice today. While there is nothing concrete leading Gross to believe that he would definitely be out for Game 4, it sounds like Darroll Powe is very close to returning. If that’s the case, Powe may be Kreider’s replacement in the lineup.
• Ryane Clowe also skated today and could very likely make an appearance in this series should it continue past Game 4. He’s been out since Game 5 versus the Washington Capitals after sustaining what unofficially has been declared concussion symptoms. It would be a long shot to see him appear in Game 4, but it’s the postseason, and every player seems to battle through numerous injuries. Would it be smart for Clowe to do that? Not really, but we’ll see.
• While this is clearly my own personal opinion, I proposed scratching Brad Richards and inserting Kris Newbury into the lineup. Sure, it’s a big stretch and there’s no indication that will happen, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a quote from Powe, who along with Arron Asham, were a part of the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers that came back to defeat the Boston Bruins after being down 0-3 in the series.

“Obviously it was a memorable series. What I remember is just going in everyday and focusing on the game at hand. You obviously can’t win four games tomorrow night so we’ve got to focus just on the task at hand, which is coming out strong on our first shift. We go shift-by-shift and just chip away. You’ve got to try to win every shift. That’s how you’re going to get back in the series.

“You have to go in with that belief for sure. I mean, you win that one game and things start to change. After that you worry about the next game and you realize as you keep going your confidence builds and grows and you see the other side kind of going the other way. We can’t do it without a big next game.”

Powe said the sense of accomplishment after beating the Bruins was immense.

“It was a pretty special feeling for sure. I mean, it builds a lot of character and we have a lot of character in this room so I know we’re going to come out hard tomorrow night, put our best effort out there and do the right things that are going to help us win that hockey game.”

Thanks to Gross for the quotes.

Andrew Gross of The Bergen Record reports that Anton Stralman was not participating in practice today, and from the sounds of head coach John Tortorella, does not seem likely to appear in Game 4.

Stralman was hurt on a hard check into the boards by Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins in the second period. He did not appear at all in the third period.

If Stralman doesn’t play in Game 4, Matt Gilroy or Roman Hamrlik will be the replacement options at the disposal of Tortorella. Gilroy has not had the season most had hoped for this year, and was limited to only 15 regular season appearances. He scored zero points and assists, and was a minus-three.

Hamrlik, who was acquired from the Washington Capitals off of waivers in March, also has nearly identical stats as Gilroy: 12 regular season games played as a Ranger (16 league total in 2012-13), zero points and assists, and is a minus-three.

However, Hamrlik has extensive postseason experience: 111 career postseason games played, and was a big factor for the Capitals defense last postseason.

Clearly, I would prefer to see the Rangers select Hamrlik as Stralman’s replacement in the lineup, but it may not be that obvious.

Gross feels that Gilroy is the more likely replacement, however, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Gross also states that there is a very slim chance that Marc Staal may actually return for Game 4 – he did practice today – but that may be wishful thinking at best.

On the loss of Stralman, Tortorella was very blunt (as always):

“Losing Stralsy is a big blow to us,” Tortorella said. “He puts himself in a situation there where he’s playing in an area to try and make a play and gets hurt. And he’s done that really through the playoffs here. To a defense that’s lacking a little depth right now, it hurts us. Listen, we’re 0-3, there’s no sense of feeling pressure, the players that get to play tomorrow and play more minutes than maybe they’re used to, grab a hold of it and let it happen. Crap, if you lose you’re done. That’s what I’m hoping for and I believe we will get it from some of our guys.”

It’s very unfortunate that Stralman was hurt, because in my opinion his postseason performance this year has been extremely impressive. He clearly has elevated his game many levels, delivering huge timely hits and making key defensive plays. Compared to how he played when the Rangers first acquired him, I would think they were two separate players. It’s really that significant of a change.

Luckily the Rangers have great defensive depth, one of the best in the league, and they should be able to overcome yet another injury hurdle.

Let me start this article off by establishing a few things:

I respect Brad Richards tremendously as an athlete and as a person. On a personal level, his tireless efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy completely outside of the media spotlight was beyond admirable, and is something I will not soon forget.

I also want it to be known that while every one on the internet seems to have the perfect solution for every possible hiccup in the Rangers game (“I know how the fix the power play! It’s so easy!”), I do not pretend to be one of those people.

I’m simply elaborating on a scenario that, quite simply, I did not anticipate at the beginning of this season.

Richards, as an alternate captain and as an individual athlete has been disturbingly missing the large majority of this season. It’s hard to believe that just one season away from countless clutch goals and a very admirable postseason, we are looking at a player who has notched a mere 11 goals and 23 assists in the 2012-13 regular season. Even on condensed schedule, that’s not the production we’ve come to expect from Richards – and never mind what he is being paid and the expectations that come with that.

In 20 postseason games last year, Richards had six goals and nine assists. This year, in exactly half as many games played, he has one goal, and zero assists.

I don’t know the last time I’ve seen such a rapid decline in a Rangers player in just one season. For too long, the New York Rangers have had the reputation of acquiring veteran players on the decline, grossly overpaying them, and fading into irrelevancy.

I really didn’t think Richards would become the next star to do just that.

And so I am left to wonder if the Rangers would materially benefit from scratching Richards in Game 4 – and beyond – God willing the Rangers find a way to win against the Boston Bruins this series.

Richards is currently slotted as a fourth line center, and is most likely the most expensive fourth line center in the league with an average annual cap hit of $6.67 million through 2020. Let’s not even get into the fact that a player with the skill and veteran presence as Richards should never play so bad that he is deserving of fourth line status. And we all know how well former Ranger Marian Gaborik took to his brief fourth line status.

In his place, I am proposing inserting Kris Newbury, part of the Rangers “taxi crew” that is on standby for the postseason should injuries or other adjustments be made necessary. Newbury has a very physical edge to his game, and quite frankly, it would fit in a very physically demanding series against the Bruins.

NBC Sports Network analysts Liam McHugh and Mike Milbury suggested removing Richards from the power play this series due to his ongoing struggles, but clearly something more should be done.

It blows my mind that Richards – a player with 900 career games played and 816 points in the regular season could be so lost, both on an even strength and power play scenario – can not find the confidence within himself to lead when his team needs him the most. And although it’s a distant memory at this point – he even won the Stanley Cup with the same coach he is paired with today. How is it so hard for him to snap out of the funk and find his game?

The Rangers have potentially one game left to make adjustments in a desperate attempt to keep their season alive. If John Tortorella wants to send a message to his team and to Richards, this may be part of the solution.

One thing is for sure: if Tortorella doesn’t send Richards a message for the remainder of this season, general manager Glen Sather might be sending a very different one: compliance buyout.

New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella recently proclaimed that Carl Hagelin “stinks” on the power play, and that is why he doesn’t want to use him there despite being the fifth leading scorer for the Rangers.

“Because he stinks on the power play,” Tortorella explained. “I don’t know why. I wish I could play him on the power play. Every time I put him on, he stinks.”

“I think he’s too quick. I think he’s a jitterbug and he screws it up. But I may use him — I’d love to. And I’m not trying to be a smart aleck. He stinks on the power play every time I put him on there.”

But Carl Hagelin defended himself yesterday, saying “For me, I definitely don’t think I stink on the power play. That’s the only comment I have on the power play.”

Hagelin has only one power play goal in 112 NHL games.

Nonetheless, the fact that Tortorella is singling Hagelin out is puzzling. The Rangers power play conversion is at an embarrassing 2-for-36, only 5.6 percent. The entire team is terrible at the power play, and has been for years – although this marks a new low.

It doesn’t take an expert to see that the downfall of the Rangers could very well be attributed to missed opportunities on the power play. And at only 5.6 percent, that’s nearly all opportunities.

Tortorella had said before the end of the regular season that he was leaving the power play “in the hands of the players” in an attempt to find something that works.

It’s safe to say it’s not working, but again, Hagelin shouldn’t be isolated for criticism.

New York Rangers fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Henrik Lundqvist confirmed yesterday in practice that his shoulder issue, which he wouldn’t even confirm as an injury, is “under control.”

“I landed on the ice awkwardly and it hurt a little bit. It’s under control”, Lundqvist said after practice Monday.

Lundqvist appeared to hurt himself after extending his left arm to cover the puck just above the crease with 4:52 remaining in the third period of Game 2 at TD Garden on Sunday. He needed some extra time from the officials to gather himself and flex his arm a bit, but he stayed in the game and was on the ice for the entire practice Monday.

After he was cleared by the trainers post-game, Lundqvist didn’t even hesitate to consider stepping right back out on the ice for practice today, and inevitably Game 3 back at Madison Square Garden, where the stakes will no doubt be high.

“Everybody is sore,” Lundqvist said. “It’s the playoffs; you can’t just sit out if it’s hurting a little bit. It happens and you just have to make sure you maintain and you do the right things to keep it good.”

While speaking to the media, Lundqvist said that he “has to be better”, and that you “can’t be satisfied giving up five goals.” He also discretely called out teammates by adding, “hopefully the guys in front of me will step up their game” in reference to the rest of the series.

The Rangers will host the Bruins tonight at Madison Square Garden and look for their first win of the series.

Henrik Lundqvist has a new mask for the playoffs and it is a beauty.

This mask features three Swedish champions: tennis star Bjorn Borg, skier Ingemar Stenmark and boxer Ingemar Johansson.

Lundqvist defended his mask change as necessary, and that he “doesn’t mess around” when it comes to equipment.

“I need a new mask and I wanted to wait to see, to make sure we’re in,” Lundqvist said. “It gets beat up after a while, scratched, bent.”

Yesterday in a media session during practice, New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella suddenly turned to the topic of Marian Gaborik when questions were brought up regarding how he felt about the additions of Derick Brassard, John Moore, Derek Dorsett, Mats Zuccarello and Ryane Clowe since the trade deadline.

“Yeah, I just think as you saw after the deadline, I just thought it changed our team a little bit,” Tortorella said of the personnel moves. “And I know you guys will turn it around and say that we didn’t like Gabby and you guys talk about the relationship I have with him. Gabby was a helluva player and we miss him in a lot of situations. He almost helped the team get in. So it isn’t that way. We ended up getting three or four players that solidified our core. So don’t give me any shit about Gabby as far as our relationship and all that because it’s wrong, and it’s unfair to both of us.”

Tortorella also “warned the media not to interfere” at the trade deadline with his relationship and the trade of Gaborik, according to Andrew Gross of The Bergen Record.

Strong words for a coach on a former player that he claims there was no bad blood for, and in my opinion, only complicates and further distracts the team at the worst time. Do I really think players will worry about Tortorella’s relationship with a player long after he’s gone? No, of course not. But it might just scare certain players to always be on Tortorella’s good side, or it may quickly snowball into a doghouse assignment. See: Stu Bickel, Matt Gilroy, Marian Gaborik, Sean Avery.

I’ve never seen Tortorella have to defend himself so much on a relationship with a player since Avery became an outcast and swept away into the AHL. But I am smart enough to realize that Gaborik is nothing near Avery in terms of professionalism, athleticism, or personality.

The New York Rangers had three days of practice before leaving on a flight today for Washington D.C. in preparation for the first round of the postseason versus the Washington Capitals.

The extra time in between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason may end up being very valuable for the Rangers.  In a sense, it was a “mini-training camp” that allowed head coach John Tortorella to give extra attention to special teams, practice, and video review.

While practice was very valuable for the team, it seems unanimous that the Rangers are ready to jump into the postseason fully charged.

“Yeah, we’re sick of practicing,” coach John Tortorella said. “We’re not used to it, especially this year, you’re playing every other day. Even the coaches, we’re just used to playing. This is the time of the year you should be playing. I’m not complaining but it’s a lot of time. I can tell the players, they’re chomping at the bit to play. We cut our practice short just to get on the plane and get out of here.

“It certainly wasn’t like training camp but it affords you time to not group everything into one meeting,” Tortorella added. “So we spread our meetings out the first two days. It’s not all jammed in. We got a lot accomplished but you can also hurt your team by practicing too much, especially at this time of the year.”

Brian Boyle, Derek Dorsett, Ryane Clowe, and Marc Staal will all travel to Washington. However, only Dorsett and Staal practiced in a non-contact jersey.

According to Andrew Gross of The Bergen Record, the practice lines were:

Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Rick Nash-Brad Richards-Mats Zuccarello
Taylor Pyatt-Derick Brassard-Chris Kreider
Darroll Powe-Kris Newbury-Arron Asham/Micheal Haley
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman
John Moore-Steve Eminger

Staal declined to officially state if he would appear in Game 1 versus the Capitals, however he did say “probably not.”

Game 1 is tomorrow in D.C. at 7:30pm. It will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.

With only three games remaining in their 2013 regular season, the New York Rangers aren’t looking towards the post season quite yet. The factors in play make it possible that the Rangers can place as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference, but could also tumble out of playoff contention as they grasp tightly to the eighth and final playoff spot.

But despite not looking too far into the future, the Rangers are not looking to the past either. Just a few weeks ago, Glen Sather created quite a stir in the Blue Shirts community by sending All-Star sniper Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, and John Moore and a 2014 sixth round draft pick. Rather than dwelling on what was and what could have been if Gaborik had stayed with the club, the Rangers have marched on, focusing on one game at a time and playing excellent hockey as of late.

“We’re playing our best hockey we’ve played all year,” Said Rangers captain Ryan Callahan after their 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. “These are must-wins for us. It gives us a dress rehearsal for the playoffs.”

It is true the Rangers have been playing playoff hockey since the trade deadline. The squad has a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games, with Brassard and Moore contributing greatly to the offensive production and grit the Rangers surely needed.

Brassard has contributed 9 points in his ten games as a member of the Blue Shirt Brotherhood, and has maintained a +4 goal differential since leaving Columbus. His ability to move the puck and created scoring chances is among the best in the NHL.

Moore has contributed with 4 points of his own during his tenure in New York, and has added sandpaper to a team that lost their aggressive style when Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky, John Scott, and Michael Rupp parted ways with the team.

From the Rangers perspective, parting ways with Marian Gaborik was not only an important step in regaining some of the depth they had lost in recent months, but was in fact an essential move to salvage what has been an underwhelming season for Ranger fans. Entering the 2013 season with high expectations set fans up for a hard fall, and it was clear a change was needed. That change had to come by shipping Gaborik out of the Big Apple and bringing in some new blood.

“I am hoping it’s going to help us with some new juice,” said Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella about the trade. “The deal helps us in depth, period — forwards and defence.”

One thing that sets John Tortorella apart from many coaches is his desire for privacy when dealing with player related matters, but his desire was not enough to keep prying eyes from noticing something was clearly going on between him and his All-Star forward. Gaborik was obviously no longer happy being a one way player in John Tortorella’s two-way system, and his on ice production reflected his disdain.

The 31-year-old Slovak had been a consistent point-per-game player since his second year in the NHL, but his production has held him to only 26 points in the 2013 season. Gaborik was not happy with himself and it was evident that Tortorella wasn’t happy either. In games leading up to the trade deadline, Torts was captured on camera on several occasions blasting Gaborik for his uninspired play, and his displeasure culminated in Gabby’s demotion to the fourth line and a public, lengthy, and animated “discussion” at Carleton University’s Ice House in Ottawa on March 29.

As the NHL trade deadline grew closer, it was apparent that either Tortorella or Gaborik would be leaving, and given his track record, most would bet it wasn’t going to be Torts, despite former Ranger Sean Avery’s thoughts on the matter.

On March 30, 2013, the often outspoken and controversial former NHLer quipped from his twitter account, “Fire this CLOWN. His players hate him and wont play for his BS,” immediately spurring a plethora of comments in support of either side. The Rangers, however, were quick to come to the defense of their primary trainer.

In a press release from the team, Ryan Callahan stood behind his coach, stating Avery’s comments “solely represent his own thoughts and opinions. He did not speak for us as a team when he was here and certainly does not now.”

2013 standout Derek Stepan also stood up for Tortorella when speaking to the New York Daily News, saying “Our problem isn’t with our coaching staff, and it hasn’t been… I think it’s safe to say that all 23 guys on our roster would say that’s not the case.”

The fact of the matter is that John Tortorella deserves the support of his players. Tortorella is currently 5^th in games by an active coach and 8^th in wins by an active coach. In 267 games as Head Coach of the Rangers, Torts has posted a 145-97-25 record and 315 points. He is a Stanley Cup and Jack Adams Award winner who consistently sets high expectations and creates a hard-working, gritty, two-way system. Marian Gaborik simply did not fit into this system anymore.

But even a change of venue for Gaborik hasn’t helped his struggles this season, as he has recorded only one point in his last five games with the Blue Jackets.

Gaborik will be missed as a member of the Blue Shirt Brotherhood. When healthy, he continues to be one of the fastest and most accurate snipers in the NHL and fans warmed up to his on and off ice personality. The Rangers, however, have added both offensive and defensive depth with the Marian Gaborik trade, and have returned to the truculent bang and crash style fans have come to know and love. All in all, it was time for Gaborik to go.

Most importantly, with only three games remaining in their 2013 regular season, the New York Rangers need their newly – acquired depth to help for one final playoff push. While only the Winnipeg Jets can catch them, The Rangers must play their best hockey at a critical time to advance to the post season.

Whether 5^th or 8^th in the East, the moves Glen Sather made close to the trade deadline have set the Rangers up to succeed in the 2013 playoffs and for seasons to come. As hockey fans have learned from the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, anyone who makes the post-season has a real shot at being next to claim Lord Stanley’s Mug, and the Rangers are certainly keeping their eyes on the prize.